The Chargers took a hit Monday when the NFL denied them any compensatory draft selections, even though ex-Charger Vincent Jackson spruced up the Bucs, while three of the free agents signed by A.J. Smith did more harm than good here.

Like the selection of a pope, NFL compensatory draft decisions are shrouded in mystery. The League says “compensatory free agents are determined by a formula based on salary, playing time and postseason honors.”

The NFL management council developed the formula. You may know the council members – “Dancing With The Stars” judges Bruno Toniolo, Carrie Ann Inaba and Len Goodman.

Compensatory picks are better than scratch-off lottery tickets, but not by much. Average address of the 32 picks awarded Monday was 199th. Of the last 10 players drafted 199th, only one, Charlie Johnson, became a primary starter. The picks can't be traded, reducing their value.

All the same, Tom Telesco would’ve welcomed the 199th pick. Telesco used to work for the Colts. The Colts, selecting 199th in 2006, took the aforementioned Johnson, an offensive tackle who's now a five-year starter.

Smith drafted Jackson out of Northern Colorado, and saw him develop into a durable playmaker. With success came challenges, many driven by Jackson's soaring earning power. The Chargers and Jackson's agents sparred over Jackson's financial value. The Chargers could've traded Jackson. Aiming for a Super Bowl, they chose to keep him. They missed the playoffs, and Jackson left as a free agent.

Splurging in free agency ran counter to the Chargers' draft-and-develop approach, but diminishing returns in recent drafts created roster holes that Smith tried to fill with Dean Spanos' check book last year. For the most part, it didn't work out, linebacker Jarret Johnson being an exception.

Danario Alexander, the street agent signed by Smith last season, was fabulous for the Chargers. But NFL spokesman Greg Aiello tells me Alexander's signing "did not factor" into the NFL's evaluation.